Health Canada — Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist
Health Canada Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist — Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients (updated August 2025)
29 compiled entries · 16 banned · 13 restricted
| Ingredient | Status | Limit | Rule | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mercury and its compounds | Banned | — | Hotlist Part I (Prohibited) entry — includes thimerosal (CAS 54-64-8), mercuric oxide, phenyl mercuric acetate; not permitted as an ingredient in any cosmetic sold in Canada (limited historical exception for eye-area products with no available alternative preservative has been phased out). | Source |
| lead and its compounds | Banned | — | Hotlist Part I (Prohibited) entry, CAS 7439-92-1, includes lead acetate (CAS 301-04-2); intentional addition prohibited in cosmetics. | Source |
| arsenic and its compounds | Banned | — | Hotlist Part I (Prohibited) entry, CAS 7440-38-2. | Source |
| cadmium and its compounds | Banned | — | Hotlist Part I (Prohibited) entry, CAS 7440-43-9. | Source |
| chromium | Banned | — | Hotlist Part I (Prohibited) entry, CAS 7440-47-3. | Source |
| hexachlorophene | Banned | — | Hotlist Part I (Prohibited) entry, CAS 70-30-4 (2,2'-dihydroxy-3,3',5,5',6,6'-hexachlorodiphenylmethane). | Source |
| diethylhexyl phthalate (dehp) | Banned | — | Hotlist Part I (Prohibited) entry, CAS 117-81-7 — added to reflect DEHP's addition to Schedule 1 of CEPA 1999 following a Chemicals Management Plan assessment. | Source |
| 1,4-dioxane | Banned | — | Hotlist Part I (Prohibited) entry, CAS 123-91-1 (listed as "Dioxane"). | Source |
| coal tars, crude and refined | Banned | — | Hotlist Part I (Prohibited) entry, CAS 8007-45-2, includes coal tar creosote; see also separate "Coal tar dye" restricted entry for colourant uses. | Source |
| lindane | Banned | — | Hotlist Part I (Prohibited) entry, CAS 58-89-9. | Source |
| musk ambrette | Banned | — | Hotlist Part I (Prohibited) entry, CAS 83-66-9 (4-tert-butyl-3-methoxy-2,6-dinitrotoluene). | Source |
| safrole | Banned | — | Hotlist Part I (Prohibited) entry, CAS 94-59-7, except when naturally occurring in plant extracts. | Source |
| diethanolamine (dea) and related secondary alkanolamines | Banned | — | Hotlist Part I (Prohibited) entry "Secondary alkyl- and alkanolamines and their salts" — includes DEA (CAS 111-42-2) and diisopropanolamine (DIPA); prohibited due to nitrosamine (N-nitrosodiethanolamine) formation risk. Confirmed via Health Canada regulatory summaries describing the May 2024 amendment broadening this entry. | Source |
| retinoic acid (tretinoin) and its salts | Banned | — | Hotlist Part I (Prohibited) entry, CAS 302-79-4 / 4759-48-2; includes all-trans-retinoic acid and cis-retinoic acid. | Source |
| thioglycolic acid esters (e.g. glyceryl thioglycolate, isooctyl thioglycolate) | Banned | — | Hotlist Part I (Prohibited) entry, CAS 30618-84-9 / 25103-09-7. | Source |
| toluene diisocyanates | Banned | — | Hotlist Part I (Prohibited) entry — 2,4- and 2,6-toluene diisocyanate isomers; added June 2010 to reflect Schedule 1 CEPA 1999 listing following Chemicals Management Plan screening assessment. | Source |
| resorcinol | Restricted | ≤ 0% | Hotlist Part II (Restricted) entry, CAS 108-46-3 — not permitted in cosmetics intended for use on the skin (i.e. leave-on skin contact); permitted only in specific oxidative hair-dye uses under the "Coal tar dye" entry conditions. | Source |
| formaldehyde | Restricted | ≤ 0.2% | Hotlist Part II (Restricted) entry, CAS 50-00-0: not permitted in aerosol products; max 0.01% in non-aerosol products that release formaldehyde vapours; 0.1% in oral products; 0.2% as a preservative in non-oral products; 5.0% in nail hardeners (must ship with nail shields and a skin-sensitivity warning). Confirmed near-verbatim via search corroboration. | Source |
| hydroquinone | Restricted | ≤ 0.3% | Hotlist Part II (Restricted) entry, CAS 123-31-9: max 0.3% as an oxidizing colouring agent in hair dyes (with warning statements) and max 0.1% in nail products; combined hydroquinone + p-hydroxyanisole may not exceed 0.1% in a single (nail) product — confirmed via search corroboration of the combined-limit condition. | Source |
| methylisothiazolinone (mi) | Restricted | ≤ 0.0015% | Hotlist Part II (Restricted) entry, CAS 2682-20-4: not permitted in leave-on products, max 0.0015% in rinse-off products; when combined with MCI in the same formulation, cumulative MI + MI/MCI concentration may not exceed 0.0015%. Confirmed near-verbatim via search corroboration. | Source |
| p-phenylenediamine and its salts | Restricted | ≤ 3% | Hotlist Part II (Restricted) entry — max 3% (after dilution with an oxidizer) in oxidative hair dyes per Cosmetic Regulations section 22, with mandatory patch-test warning label and a ban on use to dye eyebrows/eyelashes; also governed by the "Coal tar dye" entry. Confirmed via Health Canada compliance-verification-project publication. | Source |
| 1-naphthol and its salts | Restricted | ≤ 2% | Hotlist Part II (Restricted) entry, CAS 90-15-3: max 2% as an oxidizing colouring agent in hair dyes; max 1% in combination with hydrogen peroxide. Confirmed near-verbatim via search corroboration. | Source |
| selenium and its compounds | Restricted | — | Hotlist Part II (Restricted) entry, CAS 7782-49-2, excluding selenium sulfide (CAS 7488-56-4) which is separately regulated (permitted in anti-dandruff shampoos up to a set limit). Both CAS numbers correspond to real, correctly-named substances; structure matches known Hotlist exclusion pattern. | Source |
| furocoumarins | Restricted | ≤ 0.0001% | Hotlist Part II (Restricted) entry, CAS 66-97-7, except naturally occurring in plant extracts: max 1 mg/kg (1 ppm) in sun tanning products. Confirmed via search (matches pre-2026 wording; a 2026 proposal would expand this to all leave-on products, consistent with this row's August 2025 vintage). | Source |
| 5-bromo-5-nitro-1,3-dioxane | Restricted | — | Hotlist Part II (Restricted) entry, CAS 30007-47-7 (bronidox) — not permitted in cosmetics that contain amines or amides (nitrosamine-formation risk); this condition matches the substance's known chemistry and comparable restrictions in other jurisdictions. | Source |
| talc | Restricted | — | Hotlist Part II (Restricted) entry, CAS 14807-96-6 — not permitted in products intended solely for use in the genital area, plus broadened inhalation-exposure warnings for loose powder products (May 2024 amendment); "read entire entry to determine all applicable conditions" per Health Canada note. Confirmed via multiple search sources. | Source |
| butoxyethanol (2-butoxyethanol) | Restricted | ≤ 10% | Hotlist Part II (Restricted) entry, CAS 111-76-2 — permitted only in hair dyes and nail products, max 10%. Confirmed near-verbatim via search corroboration. | Source |
| fluoride compounds (sodium fluoride, calcium fluoride, stannous fluoride, sodium monofluorophosphate) | Restricted | — | Hotlist Part II (Restricted) entry — not permitted in dentifrices, mouthwashes, or breath drops marketed as cosmetics (fluoride toothpastes are instead regulated as natural health products/drugs in Canada); distinct conditions apply for oral vs. other product categories. Confirmed directionally via search, though exact entry wording is less precisely corroborated than other rows. | Source |
| hydrogen peroxide / peroxide-generating compounds | Restricted | ≤ 3% | Hotlist Part II (Restricted) entry, CAS 7722-84-1, under "Peroxide and peroxide-generating compounds": oral cosmetics above 3% hydrogen peroxide (or equivalent) require a clinical study demonstrating salivary peroxide levels stay under 3% during directed use. Confirmed near-verbatim via Health Canada's own tooth-whitening evidence-requirements publication. | Source |
2026-07-21 · Compiled from cited primary sources. Informational only — not legal advice.
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